On This Day In Music History...

By Metrolyrics
August 26, 2011

August 26, 1967: The Jimi Hendrix Experience released "Purple Haze"

Not gonna lie, I'm a little obsessed with Jimi Hendrix at the moment. I'm currently reading his bio and finding out so many weird tidbits about the left-handed Guitar God. Here are some of my favourites:

1. He was really, really, really poor growing up. So poor that he always carried pieces of cardboard in his backpocket because his shoes had holes in the soles. The moment he could feel the pavement hit his bare feet, he'd slip a piece of cardboard inside his shoe.

2. Before he was ~*Jimi Hendrix*~, he played in back-up bands for artists like Sam Cooke, The Isley Brothers, and Little Richard (who kicked him out for being too flashy!).

3. He lied and said he was gay in order to get kicked out of the Army.

4. He was always portrayed as a sex symbol in the media, but he had a longtime girlfriend, Kathy Etchingham. So, in order to keep up his player perception, Kathy would often have to leave their shared apartment whenever Jimi had to do an interview (only to return and find Jimi canoodling with the female interviewer).

Unfortunately, Jimi was taken from us much too soon, so there's no telling where his vintage chic style and otherworldly talent could have taken him. Though the surroundings of his death still remain somewhat of a mystery (Drugs? Alcohol? Murder?), there's one thing we can all agree on when it comes to Jimi Hendrix: the man is a legend.